Hands down, science journalism is one of the best jobs around. We get to traipse around with interesting people to interesting places, and we get to tell the coolest stories while learning something about ourselves or the world we live in. But when you choose a career in science journalism, you quickly realize that productivity is the key to success. So, we’re giving away our secrets. Here are some of our favorite SciLance Hacks!

Not a day goes by when I don’t have at least a dozen tabs open in my browser. Article after article, Facebook, Twitter, etc. How do you keep from getting sucked into the Internet time warp? Cut the cord. Or, at least do some selective surgery. Michelle Nijhuis (bio) provides some worthy solutions to staying focused when you’ve got to get those words on the page.

Sometimes, you’re the only journalist on the desert island with your source. No photographer in sight. Mark Schrope (bio) has some tips for taking better photographs to improve your reporting and enhance the story’s appeal in a two part series (part 1 and part 2).

Hannah Hoag writes about science, medicine and the environment from her home in Toronto, Canada. Her work has appeared in newspapers and a wide range of magazines, including Nature, Wired, New Scientist, Reader’s Digest (Canada) and Canadian Geographic. In 2010, as the recipient of a journalism award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, she researched and wrote about epigenetics and mental health, producing stories that won Canadian honors for excellence in health research journalism.